


Always and Always and Always

by ticktockclockwork



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Adoption, Bitty is the best husband, Communication, Deaf Character, First Time Parents, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Polyamory, SO MUCH FLUFF, Seriously so much communication, Sign Language, Single Parent Jack, Surrogacy, happy kent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-09-10 20:13:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8937547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ticktockclockwork/pseuds/ticktockclockwork
Summary: Kent has always wanted to be a father. The problem is, he's never told his husband that. When Bitty finds out, Kent's life becomes a whirlwind of hope with a future promising to be bright.---A Bittyparse parents fic with a heaping side of Single parent Jack to make things ever better. This thing is fluffier than a goose feather pillow. Seriously, brah. Fluffapalooza right here.





	1. Chapter 1

It had started with the little things, so little in fact that Bitty missed nearly all of them.

He and Kent had been together for nearly seven years now. A year after they'd begun dating Kent got traded to the Sharks then a few years after that he moved to the Bruins which thus far had stuck. It hadn't been an easy time for either of them, Kent reluctant to leave Vegas first and then the West Coast in general, and Bitty was nervous to be close to Jack again.

They'd had a pretty disastrous falling out when things had gone from speculation to confirmed after a few poorly concealed phone calls on Bitty's part. They'd stayed together after the backlash but really only out of obligation. When Bitty got a job offer in Vegas at a non-profit organization a month after he and Jack had been outed, he accepted, broke off what was already essentially finished, and moved back to the sun.

He and Kent had met at a charity function Bitty was attending as press for his job. They hadn't hit it off well right away, Bitty still feeling defensiveness for a man he wasn't even with anymore, but Kent was nothing if not tenacious and soon they went on a date. Then they were dating. Then they were Kent and Bitty. A unit. And a strong one. Kent was an asshole but he _loved_ Bitty and Bitty found it wasn't as hard to fall in love again as he'd first feared.

Moving back to Boston had caused them both some anxiety. Bitty wasn't ready to hash things out with Jack and Kent had already tried, and failed, multiple times so where hurt once stood only bitterness remained.

Then Jack got hurt.

And announced early retirement.

And it felt like things could no longer stay at a standstill between the three of them. No matter the pain the two of them felt, Jack needed support right now. So they talked. And Jack cried. And Bitty yelled. And Kent left. Then came back. And they talked more. For months all they did was talk, until talking became more, and two tentatively became three.

That had been years ago. The Bruins won the cup Kent's first year there but it wasn't until his third that he got the C when Chara retired. Bitty was there to scream his name his first game as captain. So was Jack. They would have made headlines but Taylor Swift hooked up with one of the Hansen brothers that weekend at a concert so they were only on page three.

Questions about their relationship never got easier to answer. Kent and Bitty were official. They lived together, loved together, and though Bitty wore a ring on one of his fingers it was never _the_ finger but that really didn't matter. Jack factored in when he wanted to, when they all did, and then sometimes he didn't. Sometimes he spent months in Montreal coaching during the summer when his new knee didn't hurt too much. Sometimes he traveled doing charity work with Habitat for Humanity. It worked, for all of them.

Until Jack mentioned wanting a child, starting talking about surrogacy, started doing more than looking at brochures. He wanted a life beyond hockey, a legacy that meant more than his name engraved on a statue.

She was born in the dead heat of summer. Genvieve Alice Zimmerman, dark haired, blue eyed, fat as a little buddah and the most precious thing Bitty had ever held in his arms. Kent pronounced himself her godfather without even being asked, though Jack had no complaints. Kent didn't even care that the Bruins got knocked out of playoffs early that year because it meant they could spend their whole summer in Montreal, watching her first few months of growth.

It wasn't until they got back home at the start of preseason that Bitty really started noticing. They all missed Jack and Genie, skyped him when they could and long looked forward to his return after the new year. Bitty reassured both his boys that it would go quick, but even he could feel the distance stronger than he had imagined. After moving to Boston he'd joined and now co-ran a local organization that helped non-profits get more social media coverage. He was a busy man now, often putting in long hours when Kent was on a roadie because that was easier than being home alone. But despite keeping busy, the distance was felt distinctly more than it had before.

He knew Kent was feeling it too.

“Do you miss him?” Bitty asked one night when they were finishing up supper. Kent had a game the day previous but had a few days off before he left again for the road. Bitty had made beef stroganoff but Kent hadn't eaten much.

“Hm?”

“Do you miss them? Jack and Genie?” Bitty clarified, tilting his head as he set his fork down. Kent had had a faraway look in his eyes for awhile.

“Oh. Yeah, uh I guess. Miss Jack's stupid face.”

Bitty smirked but continued watching Kent who was watching the TV. He reached over and stroked the back of Kent's hair, finally getting his full attention. “It's okay to miss them.” Bitty said quietly, concerned, having trouble reading his partner.

“That's not-” Kent stopped himself and looked away, even as Bitty rubbed his thumb soothingly at the nape of Kent's neck. “Yeah, I guess I just miss her. My little peanut.” He looked down and smiled in a self-deprecating manner. Bitty smiled in return though it was fond. He stood as he gathered the plates, stopping on his way to the kitchen to press a lingering kiss to Kent's forehead.

“I get that.” Bitty agreed with a nod, dropping the dishes in the sink to be dealt with later. “I miss her a lot too.” He moved back to Kent who still wouldn't look at him. He crouched and took Kent's hands into his own, bringing them up to his lips to kiss them gently. “Let's go call her. I bet she misses your face just as much as you miss hers.”

Kent sighed but his smiled was a little more genuine. “Sure… alright. Let me grab that ugly Sharks hat she loves so much.”

Things returned back to normal after that. Or, whatever you could call normal for two overworked men in a sometimes relationship with a new dad. They went south for the holidays then came home early to welcome Jack and Genie back home properly. Bitty had redecorated one of Jack's spare rooms as a nursery, he and Kent spending hours upon hours shopping for each specific detail to make sure it was all just right. The new year came and the new year went and Bitty found he was happy.

It was Kent's melancholy which returned towards the end of January. The Bruins were having a mediocre year already and probably wouldn't get anywhere close to a shot at the cup. They won some games but lost more and Kent came home with the stress evident more often than not. He and Bitty bickered, then they made up. Then they bickered some more.

“I don't know what you want from me Kent!” Bitty had finally shouted after a long night of trying and failing to navigate the passive aggressive labyrinth Kent had set out for him. He knew how Kent could get after a loss and this last one had been bad even for them. Half the fans had left during the second intermission. Bitty had stayed but he could see how it had rattled the team, rattled his partner.

“I don't want anything from you, Bitty.” Kent snipped back, slouched on the couch with his feet on the coffee table. His muscles were bunched up tight and his face was determinedly turned towards the highlights they were playing but Bitty could tell he wasn't watching.

“Fine… ‘m going to bed then.” He replied tiredly.

Kent huffed and shook his head.

“What?” Bitty had just barely made it into the hall, face now pressed against the wall in frustration. “What what what?!”

“... Nothing.”

“Ugh!” Then Bitty stomped off, no matter what Kent had said.

They made up in the morning over chaste morning kisses and whispered apologies. Bitty held Kent and Kent rocked them back and forth and then they went out to buy Genie a new outfit because that always made Kent happy. When they got home that night Kent was smiling again and Bitty breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know what had crawled up Kent's spine but things were back now and he was left with no time to ponder on what had been the cause of Kent's previous mood.

It wouldn't leave him, though. Because this didn't feel new. It just felt like a continuation. Bitty could attribute it to stress. He could chalk it up to the Bruins doing poorly and Kent feeling responsible and a whole other number of things that Bitty didn't believe it was. That would have been easy but relationships weren't easy and Bitty wasn't satisfied.

So he started, finally, paying attention. He watched Kent when they babysat for Jack. He watched him when he was doing PR. He watched him when the Bruins entertained a group of peewees one Saturday and when they went to visit a children's hospital at the start of the spring. He watched him when they went back to Georgia for the Bittle Family Reunion and then when they came back and celebrated Genvieve’s first birthday.

He noticed and he catalogued and he worried but he didn't quite confront, too unsure to know how to properly broach that subject. He wasn't left with much choice, though, late in July when he was cleaning out their closet during a bout of belated spring cleaning. He was digging out all of Kent's suits, planning to go through the ones he no longer wore to see what he thought Kent would want to keep and what he'd want to throw away.

Behind a heavy row of garment bags Bitty found a box. It was weathered and a bit worn from other boxes being stacked on top. Bitty recognized it from when they had first moved from Vegas to San Jose and he frowned, dragging it out. He peeled back the no-longer-sticky tape and unfolded the flaps, frowning even more at what he sees inside.

When he couldn't quite convince himself about what he was looking at, he dragged it to the bed and dumped it upside down on the comforter.

Clothes, a whole box of clothes, and most specifically... baby clothes. There were onesies and little footed pants, ultra soft sweaters and a few handmade looking knit hats. He found one pair of teeny Air Jordans and a mess of tiny socks. Towards the bottom there were baby sized jerseys, a few from the Aces, one from the Sharks, and, newer, three from the Bruins. He even found a Falconers one, old now that they changed their logo two years back.

Bitty felt the floor fall out from under him and had to sit down. He pushed Kent's suits right off the bed and onto the floor and crawled up in their place so he could sit and just _look_. This was years of collecting, years of hidden desire, and Bitty was aching, absolutely _aching_ at the thought that Kent felt that this needed to be shoved into a box and hidden in the back of their closet. That he felt this needed to be hidden from Bitty. He doesn't hurt for himself. He doesn't understand why Kent did it, but he also wasn't angry. He's just so, so heartbroken for his partner, for his love, for having to hide this like it was shameful.

Kent has wanted a child for years.

And he never said a word.

When Kent comes home the suits are put away, as is the box, but not the clothes. Bitty cried, he cried hard, but then he took his time folding each tiny piece of clothing. He gave each the time and attention it deserved, smoothing the wrinkles out of the jerseys, silently tucking the socks with their pairs. He laid them out on their bed and he waited.

Kent came home from practice expecting to find Bitty in the kitchen. They'd planned on dinner in tonight, Bitty having wanted to try a new paella recipe he'd been given by a co-worker. The kitchen was dark, though, and the house smelled no different than it had that morning. Nothing seemed terribly out of place. Music still played softly from their home system, the windows were still open and the late afternoon light lit everything up pleasantly. It had been warm the week previous but fall was starting to creep upon them, a soft cooling of the air that Kent was ready for.

Wandering deeper into their home, he hummed, shedding his shoes and jacket haphazardly by the couch. “Bits? Are you home?” He knew he was, he'd seen his car in its spot.

“Bedroom…”

“Sneaky sneaky. I thought we'd grown too old for afternoon romps in be-”

Kent rounded the door but stopped the moment he saw the bed. Bitty was sitting cross-legged, hands in his lap. His face was soft, sad, and it was clear he'd been crying earlier, though Kent couldn't tell how long ago. He, admittedly, didn't spend much time looking at Bitty's face, his attention instead drawn to the neat piles of clothes on the bed. “I-I…. I can explain…” he gasped, gripping the doorframe to keep himself upright.

Bitty wasn't supposed to find that box.

“Sweetheart…” it sounded like Bitty was about to cry again and Kent couldn't breathe. He couldn't take his eyes off the clothes but even if he could he'd be too terrified to look Bitty in the eye. This was too much, this was too big.

Kent heard himself gasp. He saw moving in his peripherals and then felt hands on his face tilting his gaze down to meet Bitty's. He gasped again, struggling to get air in his lungs. “Shhhh, shh baby it's okay. It's okay. Don't be afraid, shhh just try and breathe for me honey.” Kent could hear Bitty's voice through the rushing in his ears and he followed his gently guiding hands to sit on the bed. He was sat upright but felt Bitty ease him down so his head was between his knees, trying to get his breathing back under control. He could see a little pair of Aces socks while Bitty rubbed circles between his shoulders.

It took him forever to compose himself. When his breathing fell back to a normal rhythm, the tears started and he honestly had no idea why he was crying. He just was. He felt ashamed, and scared. He felt the desire now laid bare on the bed stronger than he had in ages. But most of all… he felt relief. It was out in the open now, this big heavy _something_ that he'd been carrying around with himself for years was finally exposed and though he had no hope for a favorable outcome, it was _finally out there_.

He thought he'd be sick with that relief.

Bitty stayed steady by his side through it all. He whispered sweetly to him when he was willing to listen, held his hand and stroked his hair even when touch felt overwhelming. He hummed as Kent finally started coming back down and when he finally lifted his head, Bitty had a smile waiting for him. “I love you.” He said immediately and Kent felt tears welling again. “I love you so, _so_ much.” Kent leaned in and Bitty gave him the kiss he was seeking. “Love you love you love you.”

“I love you too Bits. Always and always and always. I'm so sorry…”

“Shhh… don't apologize baby. Don't apologize until we've talked and then if you're still sorry you can say it again then.” Bitty whispered against his temple before just pulling him so Kent was draped across his lap. Bitty wrapped his arms around him then peppered kisses all over his face, slow, sweet. Kent closed his eyes to relish it.

He felt Bitty move again a little while later. The sun had set but there were enough lights on that Kent could see Bitty pulling the tiny Aces jersey forward, thumbing over the logo on the front. Kent hesitated before lifting his own hands to hold over Bitty's, letting out a big sigh as he was finally able to talk.

“Since the Aces?” Bitty asked him, one arm letting go of the jersey to wrap around Kent's chest.

“Yeah… about a month after you moved in with me.”

“....” Bitty fell quiet for a long moment then made a pained noise and leaned down to bury his face into Kent's hair. “Oh sweetheart…” he sounded heartbroken and Kent winced, the guilt settling in deep. “Why didn't you say anything? Kent that was like…”

“Six and a half years ago, I know…” he sighed and held the jersey to his chest before reaching next for a onesie. ‘Itty bitty purple people eater’ was printed on the front with a little purple Halloween monster on the front. “You'd mentioned a few times that you weren't good with infants… that that was why you liked middle school kids best. Then you brushed off your mom asking about grandchildren and then I second guessed myself because what kind of fucking father would I be, it's not like I ever had a good father figure in my life so then I-” he stopped when he heard Bitty make another painful noise. “I… I'm sorry…”

Bitty was shaking his head, taking the clothes from Kent then nudging him so that they were laying face to face, the clothes falling out of their piles. “Don't apologize baby…” he whispered. “You really really have nothing to be sorry for.”

“I should have…”

“Shh, maybe, maybe not. I wish you had, wish you hadn't suffered with this all these years. But I don't want you apologizing for this. God it just breaks my heart knowing I didn't see it. I wasn't paying attention and I should have been I saw all the signs I think I just didn't put them together-”

“No! No Bits god no you couldn't have known, don't feel guilty please, I didn’t- I don’t-” he sucked in air then just pressed his face to Bitty's collar. “Fuck I love you so much Bitty. I didn't want to ask this of you because it's _so fucking huge_ and then Jack had Genie and I thought that would be fine and it was she's so beautiful Bits! Fuck I love her more than anything it's just it's… it's just.” he couldn't say it.

“It’s not the same.”

Kent felt awful for even thinking it. For ever feeling it, for ever thinking that Genie was less than amazing.

“Kenny? Sweetheart?”

Kent looked up to Bitty who had wet eyes but a small smile on his lips.

“Can you tell me what it is you want? What you've wanted all these years? I wanna hear it…”

Kent felt himself starting to cry again but Bitty nodded encouragingly, thumbing his temple. “Bits… Eric… I wanna be a dad…” he sucked in a ragged breath and laughed, disbelieving as those words finally left his tongue. “I wanna have a kid with you.”

Bitty laughed out a sob too, eyes wet, tears falling. He nodded then leaned in to kiss Kent, deep though chaste, unable to contain the happy-pained-overwhelmed laughs. “Okay… okay baby… let's talk about that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I hope you enjoyed this! I got the bug to write some Bittyparse and I'm not quite sure where this came from but oh well, here we are. I've never written a parents fic before but I wanted to give it a shot. Kent is precious and deserves all the happiness in the world. I'll write him happiness until I choke if I gotta.
> 
> The second chapter will be up tomorrow. It's all written, I just need to reread it and edit it properly, a task I'm too tired to do tonight I'm afraid. It'll be up in the morning and you'll be able to read about Kent and Bitty navigating that jungle on their own.
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading!
> 
> PS baby on hip Jack is a new weakness of mine? Who knew.
> 
> Come yell at me about Bittyparse on Tumblr @ ticktockclockwork


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So they talked. After they had talked, all the baby clothes on the bed migrated to a drawer in their dresser. After the clothes had been put away, Kent paid his penance in bed, hours spent kissing every perfect space on his partner's body. When the sun came up, they went to bed and slept until late afternoon. Kent knew he wouldn't be going to practice, knew he wouldn't go for a few days probably, would need to tap into his emergency time off because he couldn't fathom leaving Bitty for any reason right now.
> 
>  
> 
> When Bitty woke, Kent smiled. “If we’re going to do this…” because right now it was just if but that was more than Kent could ask for, more than he'd ever expected. “maybe we should get married for real.”
> 
> \---
> 
> Bittyparse wedding, Bittyparse babies, Bittyparse happiness!

And so they talked. After they had talked, all the baby clothes on the bed migrated to a drawer in their dresser. After the clothes had been put away, Kent paid his penance in bed, hours spent kissing every perfect space on his partner's body. When the sun came up, they went to bed and slept until late afternoon. Kent knew he wouldn't be going to practice, knew he wouldn't go for a few days probably, would need to tap into his emergency time off because he couldn't fathom leaving Bitty for any reason right now.

When Bitty woke, Kent smiled. “If we’re going to do this…” because right now it was just  _ if  _ but that was more than Kent could ask for, more than he'd ever expected. “maybe we should get married for real.” Bitty grinned wider and hid his face in Kent's bare chest.

“That's one of the worst proposals I've ever heard.” He chirped.

“I don't care. You're so fucking beautiful right now and I got to talk about us as dads and I love you so much that I kind of want to be sick and I want you officially like a hundred and ten percent I don't want there to be any questions that you are my  _ husband _ for now and forever so please, please, Eric Bittle, will you do me the greatest fucking honor and marry me?”

Bitty had bit his bottom lip between his teeth but was nodding in the end, laughing again and kissing him deep. “Yes, yes a thousand times yes!” And they came crashing together once again.

The wedding was small, just Eric's parents, Jack and Genie and Jack's parents, Kent's sister and mother, plus the SMH teammates that they still kept in touch with: Shitty, Lardo, Chowder, Ransom, and Holster. They went down to city hall, let the paps take some pics, then went home to celebrate properly with their friends and family all around them. When their family left, they celebrated in their own way, slow, passionate, desperate at times, but always, always reverential.

Months passed just talking. Sometimes it was hard on Kent and he had to remind himself that he'd been thinking about this for years while Bitty was just beginning to think about it now. They talked about adoption, about surrogacy, fostering, all of it. Bitty talked to Jack endlessly sometimes, and would come home with more questions for Kent than he’d had when he left. Sometimes they fought, when Bitty spooked himself or Kent pushed too hard, but they always came back together, faster and softer each time it happened, forgiveness and patience at the ready.

“I think… I think I want to adopt.” Bitty said one morning, as winter was tumbling back into spring that next year. It had been months since Bitty had found the box and though a lot of time had passed, Kent never felt that they'd been idle. “ _ If _ we’re going to do this… I'd want to adopt.” He said it quietly over breakfast, not looking up from where he was stirring cinnamon into his oatmeal.

“Y-yeah?” Kent tried to keep the hope from his voice, tried to stay neutral and not pressure Bitty. This was more than he'd ever said, though. The closest he'd gotten to actually agreeing. It was progress, a step closer. And Kent couldn't help but feel thrilled.

Bitty could see it even as Kent tried to hide it. He rolled his eyes at his husband and leaned in to kiss him. “Yeah…” then his mouth was covered with Kent's as Kent all but crawled over him to kiss every part of his face he could. “Alright, alright, down boy!” Bitty laughed trying to hold Kent and not tip out of his chair.

“Alright, okay, sorry. I love you, sorry, I won't say anything except that, yes, I love you, so much, and like… did I say I love you? And if you… when you're ready… I'm here and I wanna talk about it…”

Bitty smiled fondly, touching Kent's cheek and nodding. He kissed Kent's nose, then nuzzled it with his own. “Okay. Thank you for being patient with me.”

“Always baby. Always always always…”

It happened a few weeks later. Kent was on game three of a six game roadie and had just gotten on the bus that would take them to their hotel when he got a text from Bitty. Bitty had been swamped with a new project his company had taken on and had been on relative radio silence these past few days as they completed the events they'd set up for the foundation. Kent had gotten texts at night, mostly goodnight texts or congrats for a well played game, but nothing this early in the day. It was a simple set texts, just a few words, but it made Kent's head spin and his heart jump to his throat.

>> When.   
>> It's when now.

Kent had actually cheered, straight up cheered, and when his teammates had dragged the reason out of him, the entire bus erupted. “When!!!” Kent yelled. “When we have a kid! Not if,  _ when!”  _ Then he screamed more and his team cheered and he felt the word 'home’ like he never had before.

>> Good luck in your game, will talk to you when you get home. Kiss kiss.

>> Bitty, babe, I love you SO FUCKING MUCH.

Kent texted Jack because he was excited and then he called because he couldn't help it and Jack laughed and sounded unsurprised but he and Genie sang Kent a song in French to congratulate him anyways. The Bruins played their game that night and absolutely destroyed the Avalanche and their goalie joked that maybe Kent should have kids more often if it turned their losing streak into a winning streak like it just had that night.

When he finally got home a week later, he thought he would explode. Bitty had taken a bit of time off from work, knowing he'd need it, and welcomed Kent with the enthusiasm he wanted. He indulged Kent's energy, allowed him to wear them out until they'd finally collapsed into bed hours later. When Kent looked as worn out as he should be after a long roadie, they talked.

“So.”

Kent looked up, grinning, biting his lip. “So?”

Bitty couldn't help but giggle and shake his head. “So. I haven't told you a whole bunch about this last job we had. But I want you to know about it… it turned if into when.”

Kent sat up, needing to be upright for this. He pulled Bitty into his lap, touching his skin but staying quiet to encourage him to keep going.

“It's a foster home and adoption agency for children with disabilities. They foster more than they adopt because… well… you can imagine they have difficulties.” He looked sad a moment then shook himself out of it. “We held events for them, charity balls and a few silent auctions, that sort of thing. It was to help them open a second home, help them expand to the other side of town so they can help more people.”

“Was it successful?” Kent asked, honestly curious. Bitty rarely signed contracts with companies he wouldn't back himself and Kent always donated generously when asked but Bitty had been keeping this a bit close to his chest and Kent now understood why.

“It was.” Bitty smiled at that and sighed so happily. “Like, blindingly so. I was kind of shocked. Like, I mean, I knew it would be something of a success because I was in charge of the project but it… it took off. Jack contacted his parents and they contacted someone and suddenly we had anonymous donors left and right. We about tripled our goal. It was… it was a miracle.” He breathed and sounded just like his mother sounded sometimes, all southern softness and sweet summer nights.

Kent couldn't help but smile, touching Bitty's cheek. “That's amazing Bits. I'm so proud of you…” he whispered. It was true. Bitty never failed to amaze him and even more so now, showing such strength even though Kent knew he didn't make it easy for the other.

“Thank you.” Bitty pressed a gentle kiss to Kent's lips before sitting back again. “But that's not really what did it…” he swallowed and looked down. “I uh.. uhm. I went to their main office. To get an idea of their image and their needs, yanno? And I uhm…” he took a deep breath then eased forward to tuck against Kent's chest, waiting until Kent wrapped his arms around him before continuing. “I asked about their babies…” he could feel Kent holding his breath. “He's almost a year old and-”

“Fuck… fuck Bits-” Kent's voice broke and he had his eyes squeezed tight. “Please don't be fucking with me right now…”

Bitty sat up and ran his thumbs over Kent's eyes, willing him to open them. “His name is Elijah. He has hazel eyes that might turn more green as he gets older. He's deaf, or they think he is, they'll know better as he grows, and just... god, Kent. Kenny, he was so beautiful. They wouldn't let me meet him yet because they don't until you're sure but they let me watch him play and Kent he just… he just laughed and laughed and laughed and he was so beautiful, oh god Kent he was so beautiful.” Bitty was crying now, sucking in a painful breath that Kent cut off with his lips over the others.

The kisses were messy and wet but neither men cared, Kent turning to smother Bitty in love.

“We’ll have to learn sign language-”

“I don't care.”

“A-and French too! French sign language which I think is a thing and we’ll have to get Jack to learn it too-”

“I don't care, Bits, I don't care at all I don't care about anything I need to do, we need to do. We’ll do it, I'll do whatever it takes.”

“I love you… I love you Kent.”

“Always and always and always.”

\---

The time it took to finalize and complete the adoption was nothing in the face of Kent's expression when he held his son for the first time and heard him laugh. None of the clothes fit him, they were too small for the sixteen month old, but Kent and Bitty happily bought him an entire wardrobe of jerseys and Jordans which would all fit. Bitty learned every lullaby he could find and spent hours upon hours marvelling over how Eli just  _ watched _ his hands move and when he finally learned to recognize and mimic the sign for I love you, Bitty felt he might die.

He cried.

Then he skyped Kent in the middle of the night just to show him.

Then Kent cried, too.

When he made the sign for Eli and Eli made it back, he sobbed so hard he woke his roommate. Bitty was crying too and within the hour half the team was awake, all of them signing to Eli even as Eli lost interest and just focused on Bitty. They chirped Kent endlessly for it the next morning but Kent couldn't find it in himself to care, spending the flight home learning more words and racing home to take his husband in his arms and his child on his hip.

The happiness he felt was overwhelming sometimes but Bitty never asked him to contain it, never made him hold it in, to let it simmer. He encouraged Kent to feel and love and grow and it was on Eli's second birthday - the first they were able to celebrate as a family - that he felt, for the very first time, like he was complete.

“Bits?”

Bitty looked up from the tiny Eli sized cake he was covering in a crumb coat of icing. “Yeah?”

“Thank you…”

Bitty blinked and really gave Kent his attention. “What for, sweetheart?” He asked, wiping his brow with the back of his hand.

“Just… everything. Thank you.”

A smile spread across Bitty's lips, slow and soft, before he nodded. “You're welcome. I love you. Always and always…”

“And always.” Kent finished, pulling Bitty in and kissing him deep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, okay, thanks for the patience. I didn't want to post this without fresh eyes on it first. It's a bit shorter but it's my favorite of the two chapters. I love love loved writing dad Kent and dad Bitty even if it was just in broad brush stroke passings of time. I feel like they'd both be adoring parents and I just love the idea of Eli and Genie growing up together and being little menaces to their pops. 
> 
> I tried to get things right with Eli's deafness, tried to find the right age for them to start recognizing signs and returning them but I apologize if any of it isn't right. Sign language is a beautiful language and I'm trying to learn it myself so I wanted to incorporate it with boys. I've also worked with a foster home like the one Bitty did when I was much younger and I can't tell you the impact it had on me at such a young age. 
> 
> Anyways! I hope you enjoyed and any comments are incredibly appreciated.
> 
> Otherwise come freak out with me on Tumblr @ ticktockclockwork!


End file.
